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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Northern Tier Solid Waste Authority (NTSWA) is a small,
very rural, three county, integrated solid waste authority located in North Central Pennsylvania. The Authority was formed
in 1973 by the three counties of Bradford, Sullivan and Tioga.
NTSWA thrived for nearly four decades under the leadership
of David Terrill who lost a battle to cancer in 2011. The concept to harness the exhaust waste heat from the Caterpillar
3520 engine came from Terrill himself. NTSWA has been utilizing landfill gas to operate a CAT engine for over 12 years
and has been utilizing waste heat from the cooling jacket since
2008. On behalf of the Thermal Heat Recovery Project or
“Heat Loop Project”, NTSWA has taken it one step further and
decided to tap into the Cat 3520 exhaust system. The heat
from the exhaust is directed into a 3.28 Million BTU heat exchanger. Heated water is transported approximately 1,600
feet to the adjoining County facilities where it supplies domestic hot water and is their main source of heat.
The Northern Tier Solid Waste Authority submits this application in memory of former Executive Director,David
T. Terrill. Without his determination and foresight the Authority would not be where it is today.
SWANA 2013 Landfill Gas Utilization Award Nomination
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The drive behind the project was the use of the
Facility. This water provides both domestic hot
tremendous amount of heat being wasted or under water as well as supplies heat to these facilities.
utilized from the Authority’s electric generating
facility.
Former Executive Director, David Terrill who always had a vision of a future powered by renewAfter utilizing hot water from the engine’s cooling able energy sources, was the driving force behind
jacket to supply heat to our leachate treatment fa- the entire project.
cility, our 9,600 square foot truck garage and our
14,400 square foot hydroponic greenhouse,
NTSWA, Landfill #2 is located on a 128 acre
NTSWA still had more energy to recover.
tract of property and is landlocked by US Route 6
to the south, County property and The Bradford
The heat loop project was able to use the exhaust
County Manor and Correctional Facility to the
waste heat from the CAT 3520 Engine to heat wa- east, Mill Creek to the north and State Gamelands
ter that is transported to both the Bradford Coun- to the west. Fifty-four acres of the site is conty Manor and the Bradford County Correctional
sumed by the landfill footprint and support facili-
Generator Building
Bradford County
Correctional Facility
Hot Water Lines
Bradford County Manor Nursing
and Rehabilitation Home
SWANA 2013 Landfill Gas Utilization Award Nomination
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ties consume another 30-acres. The location of The
Bradford County Manor and Correctional Facility made
an ideal fit for this project.
Terrill approached the Bradford County Manor with the
idea of harnessing the exhaust waste heat and in turn
transferring this energy to both County facilities. After
the County was on board, Michael Norris, of Michael L.
Norris & Associates, Inc. was hired as the engineer for
the project. His knowledge and expertise made this vision a reality. Norris did an excellent job in handling all
of the specifications and equipment needed to make this
system operational.
To prepare the site for installation earth moving operations needed to be completed. NTSWA forces prepared
the groundwork for the pipe to be placed by excavating a
trench that ran from NTSWA’s heat exchanger and connected with the County’s piping system. Insulated pipe
was welded together in 40 foot sections and additionally
insulated at each joint to minimize heat loss during the
transport of the thermal energy. To avoid air locks from
forming in the pipes, the system was designed to attain a
constant slope in the pipe layout. This was achievable
due to the geographical location of NTSWA’s site compared to the County facilities. The site soils met the
needs for the project.
The project was designed in three phases. Phase one
consisted of installing the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is the mechanism that transfers the exhaust heat
to the water. Pipe installation from the heat exchanger
to the pump house and the construction of the pump
house were also included in phase one of the project.
Phase one took approximately 8 months to complete.
Phase two involved pipe installation from the pump
house to the Bradford County Manor. The Bradford
County Manor is located on the opposite side of Route 6,
which is traveled heavily by trucks associated with the
gas well drilling industry. Diverting traffic to make a cut
in the road, lay pipe, refill the hole and patch the road
was out of the question, so the only option was to bore
underneath.
SWANA 2013 Landfill Gas Utilization Award Nomination
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Finally, Phase three involved the installation of pipe from
the pump house to the correctional facility. The pump
house which is located on the property of the Correctional
Facility was only a short distance.
another 800 feet
supplying hot water to both the
county facilities.
Once entering
The entire project from Phase 1 to 3 took approximately
these facilities, it
one year to complete.
will then pass
through an addiDue to the simplicity of the Thermal Heat Recovery Proj- tional heat exect, environmental hazards were nonexistent. The insuchanger which in
lated pipe was buried a minimum of 4 feet underground. turn, will heat the
This eliminated the need to use chemicals, such as glycol, water to these fato prevent the water from freezing.
cilities. This
“State of the Art”
NTSWA’s ability to provide an end use heat source origi- operation supplies
nating from the waste of Bradford, Tioga and Sullivan
both heat and doCounties makes this a “State of the Art” operation.
mestic hot water
to a combined
This project is possible due to the waste exhaust heat
407 occupant
from PPL’s CAT3520 reciprocating engine. The exhaust Nursing Home
heat exits the engine where it is captured by our 3.28 mil- and Correctional
lion BTU heat exchanger. Water is then heated and
Facility.
transported 800 feet to our pump house. The pumphouse is the central location for the transported water.
Hot water from the engine enters the pump house where
it passes through another heat exchanger and then travels
Pictured above is NTSWA’s 3.28
MMBTU Heat Exchanger
Pictured here shows the bore taking
place underneath US Route 6
Pictured below NTSWA’s crew is preparing the trench and pipe installation.
To prevent heat loss during transport,
pipe was welded in 40’ sections.
SWANA 2013 Landfill Gas Utilization Award Nomination
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Since the landfill was initially constructed in
1983, there has been no groundwater degradation. There are twelve (12) groundwater monitoring wells that are sampled and tested each
quarter and the results are forwarded to Pennsylvania DEP for review. NTSWA utilizes an artesian well on-site which is the water supply source
for the heat loop project. If for any reason water
would leak or run low, this artesian well is designed to automatically replenish the system.
NTSWA monitors seven gas probes located
around the perimeter of the landfill. By monitoring these probes, NTSWA is able to detect migrating gas that has escaped from the landfill.
These gas probes are monitored quarterly with
the data being forwarded to Pennsylvania DEP.
Surface emissions from the landfill are also monitored on a quarterly basis.
age tank. From there it is pumped to the
leachate treatment facility. Upon entering the
leachate treatment facility, the leachate enters a
Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) system. This
is where digestion of biological organisms breaks
down the organic material present and where
metals are removed. From there leachate goes
through a flow meter before being discharged to
the Bradford County Waste Water Treatment
Plant (BCWWTP). The BCWWTP provides secondary treatment and holds the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
permit for discharge to Sugar Creek.
With the installation of the landfill gas system,
NTSWA is able to reduce the greenhouse gas
emissions and provide benefits to the environment by reducing methane emissions. In 2012,
NTSWA combusted a total of 2,537 metric tons
of methane. This is equivalent to removing
NTSWA’s landfill gas system consists of 81 land- 10,069 passenger vehicles from the highway or
fill wells, a collection system, blower skid (to pull eliminating emissions caused by electric use from
a vacuum on the wellfield), CAT 3520 engine,
7,235 homes.
generator and controls. The engine runs on an
average of 450 scfm at approximately 50% meth- By utilizing exhaust waste heat from the landfill
ane. An enclosed flare is utilized when the engas engine the NTSWA is using a valuable regine is down for maintenance.
source, which would otherwise be wasted. Generating electricity from the decomposing waste
Leachate is captured via a collection system and helps incorporate energy conservation into the
three (3) pump stations. The leachate is pumped overall management plan.
into a 2.4 million gallon concrete leachate stor-
SWANA 2013 Landfill Gas Utilization Award Nomination
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The Northern Tier Solid Waste Authority
(NTSWA) is an Integrated Solid Waste System
committed to the excellence in solid waste management in the Pennsylvania counties of Bradford,
Tioga and Sullivan. The Authority provides the
following services to the community:
Waste Disposal
Recycling
Tire Shredding
Wood Grinding (mulch)
Septage Receiving
Street Sweeping
Leaf Vacuum
Waste Transportation
Electric Generation
Spring and Fall Cleanups for Participating
Municipalities
○ Educational Services
○ Hydroponically grown greens
○
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○
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The Authority is made up of three (3) representatives from each of the three (3) counties. The
commitment from these individuals is deeply appreciated and unsurpassed. NTSWA is recognizing
two (2) of their members this year for 40 years of
service. These two members of the Board have
been with the Authority since it was chartered in
1973. Another three of the members have over 30
years of service with three more having over 20
years of dedicated service to the Authority.
NTSWA provides numerous educational programs
and tours through the schools and local civic organizations. In 2012, the Authority provided
$5,000.00 in scholarship funds to seniors pursuing
an environmental education from an accredited
college or university. To date, NTSWA has given
away over $62,000 in scholarships.
RECYCLING & REFUSE COLLECTION
RECYCLING PROCESSING CENTER
LANDFILL
HYDROPONIC GREENHOUSE
SWANA 2013 Landfill Gas Utilization Award Nomination
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NTSWA’s staff ensures the facility is in compliance with
local, state and federal regulations. NTSWA received no
violations in 2012.
NTSWA’s safety program is second to none. Monthly
safety meetings discuss various topics relative to the
solid waste industry. NTSWA’s safety program pays
out a safety bonus to each employee at the end of the
year, dependent upon the number and degree of safety
violations encountered. NTSWA has been recognized
for seven consecutive years as a Peak Performer in Risk
Management by our insurance carrier, Penn Prime Insurance Trust.
In 2008, NTSWA received a $70,000.00 grant from the
Growing Greener Energy Harvest Program for the construction of our 14,400 square foot greenhouse.
Executive Director, Scot Sample
(L) Chairman, Ken Palmer (M) Board
Member, Rick Smith (R)
SWANA 2013 Landfill Gas Utilization Award Nomination
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NTSWA and Bradford County developed a
unique program to ensure compliant and aggressive performance of the facility. The simple operating contract consists of a 50/50 split on all
costs and all savings. The Agreement is straightforward and fair to both parties. We simply take
the base year cost prior to the project and subtract the current year cost to heat the facility.
The difference between the base year cost and
current year cost would equal the savings which is
then split between NTSWA and the County.
The cost of the project equaled $597,717.61,
which was split equally between NTSWA and the
County. Not included in the price was the bore
underneath Route 6. This was paid for by the
County and cost $37,420.00.
When Terrill approached the County with his
idea, the price of natural gas was at a much higher rate than at present time. From 2005 through
2007, the County spent a total of $561,805.12 on
their natural gas supply. That is an average of
$187,267.37 per year. Since then, natural gas
prices have plummeted which has in turn created
much less in savings. Although the price of natural gas has fallen so drastically, this project still
provides an opportunity for the County to save
money on its natural gas costs. In 2011, the
County spent $111,089.07. In 2012, while utilizing the heat loop system for 10 months, the cost
Natural Gas Cost Comparison - 2012 vs. 2011
SWANA 2013 Landfill Gas Utilization Award Nomination
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Property boun
dary
County Maint
enance Respon
sib
The County will assume responsibility for all maintenance, repair, operating costs and costs of all portions of
the Thermal Heat Recovery Project located on the County property. These portions include the pump house,
associated pumps, valves, heat exchangers, electric, water
supply and alarm call boxes. The Authority is responsible for all maintenance, repair, operating costs and costs
of all portions of the project located on Authority property. These portions include the heat exchanger, associated pipes, valves, electric, water and water supply.
After operating the Heat Loop Project for one year,
NTSWA has discovered additional waste exhaust heat to
capture. NTSWA has looked into several innovative
ways to use this waste heat. One idea is to utilize the additional waste exhaust heat to evaporate leachate from
the landfill. We have also researched tapping into the
heat exchanger to create more water lines and then converting this hot water into electricity to sell to the grid.
tenance Res
ponsibility
Property B
oundary
There has been no money allotted in the Authority’s
2013 Budget due to the fact that this is a self sustaining
system. The only cost to the Authority would be supplying the electric to the heat exchanger controls, which is
minimal.
NTSWA Facilities
NTSWA M
ain
of gas to the County was only $59,134.46. This was a
total savings to the County of $51,954.62 for the first
year. We can expect an advanced number in savings in
2013. The County will continue to make use of a small
amount of natural gas for their kitchen and as a backup
heat source. From January 1, 2012, through December
31, 2012, the Authority provided the County with 5,413
Million Metric British Thermal Units (MMBTUs). For
that time period, the County paid the Authority a rate of
$4.80 per MMBTU, totaling $25,977.31, which is exactly half of the savings.
ility
Pump House
Bradford County
Correctional Facility
US R
ou te
6
Bradford County
Manor
Looking onward into the future NTSWA still has acreage
to construct into landfill, which could produce excess gas
that is more than PPL’s current engine can convert. If
this does happen, NTSWA has already looked into the
idea of building a Compressed Natural Gas Station
(CNG) that would use the methane from our landfill to
fuel our refuse and recycling collection trucks.
Due to the system being self dependant, no training programs are currently required.
SWANA 2013 Landfill Gas Utilization Award Nomination
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NTSWA utilizes many different types of equipment
that make the heat loop all possible. The system
starts with a series of 4” HDPE wells placed on a
minimum of 200 feet radius throughout the landfill. The wells are equipped with dewatering
pumps. Removing the water from the wells makes
gas migration easier. Each week PPL and NTSWA
monitor these wells with a Landtec Gem 2000 gas
monitor. The Landtec collects data, such as flow,
oxygen, methane and vacuum in each of these
wells. This data is then analyzed and used to help
the gas collection system run at its peak performance. The wells are connected to a perimeter gas
conveyance system that is controlled by a series of
blowers. Putting negative pressure on the well field
pulls the gas to the CAT 3520 engine. The engine
then consumes the methane which produces a tremendous amount of heat from its cooling water
jacket. This heat is supplied to the on-site leachate
treatment plant, greenhouse and truck garage. In
2012 the CAT 3520 engine had a run efficiency of
96.4%. It was only shut down for necessary maintenance. The engine is monitored by a Supervisory
Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) computer
program. This program monitors the engine’s per-
formance. It collects data such as flow, oxygen,
vacuum, and many other important factors. The
program is on a private server system, so it is accessible anywhere with Internet. For the heat loop
project, NTSWA tapped into the CAT 3520 ex-
haust system. The exhaust exits the flue at over
900 degrees Fahrenheit. It then enters the 3.28
million BTU heat exchanger where it increases the
water temperature up to 220 degrees Fahrenheit.
The water will not turn to steam, due to the pressure of the system.
SWANA 2013 Landfill Gas Utilization Award Nomination
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After the water is heated, it is transported to the
pump house through a 4 inch XTRU Therma Pipe.
The pipe is insulated with 2 inches of polyurethane
foam. The pipe is jacketed with an HDPE layer over
the foam. This insulation is key in making the system most efficient by minimizing heat loss.
Once the heated water reaches the pump house it
runs through a plate heat exchanger. This heat exchanger transfers the heat to each of the supply lines
reaching the Bradford County Manor and Bradford
County Correctional Facility.
The pump house is also equipped with one set of
Armstrong pumps and three sets of Patterson
pumps. Each set transports water in a separate loop.
One loop carries water from the heat exchanger to
the pump house, another transports within the pump
house and two more loops transport to each of the
county facilities. These pumps are set up on a variable drive system which enables the increase or de-
crease of the flow, making this a more efficient
system.
Due to fluctuating water temperatures, an expansion
tank was installed in the pump house. This allowed
the water to expand and contract. The pump house
also has a pressure relief valve that allows the pressure to escape into the atmosphere if overheated.
There is an air separator located in the pump house
that allows any air bubbles that may form to exit the
system.
Lastly, we have many pressure gauges and valves
that help monitor the system and a BTU meter that
measures the amount of heat used by both of the
county facilities.
Once the heated water leaves the pump house through
the same insulated pipe, it then enters each of these
facilities where another plate heat exchanger dispenses
the heat to each of their systems.
SWANA 2013 Landfill Gas Utilization Award Nomination
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The Heat Loop Project covers
Litter fences are placed around the
over 1,600 linear feet of proplandfill to prevent windblown litter
from escaping.
erty. Due to the majority of
this project being below
ground, only a small portion is
visible. Public appearance is
of the utmost importance to
the Northern Tier Solid Waste
Authority. Only two portions
of this entire project are above
ground. One being the 17’ by
4’ foot in diameter Heat Exchanger. The heat exchanger
is tucked far within NTSWA’s
property boundaries away
from the public eye. The pump house is anoth- county’s property alongside the Correctional
er visible aspect of the Heat Loop Project mea- Facility and is sided with a steel siding. All
suring 10’x 24’. The pump house sits on the
pipes entering and leaving the facility are coat-
Overview of the both County facilities and
pump house.
SWANA 2013 Landfill Gas Utilization Award Nomination
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ed with a white HDPE jacket to make this look Portions of our southern and eastern boundarmore presentable.
ies are equipped with 10’ high litter fences to
contain any windblown litter. A minimum of 6
Being a landfill and sometimes looked at nega- inches of daily cover soils are added each day
tively in the public eye, NTSWA is constantly
to aid with litter control, odors and vector conseeking opportunities to better educate the
trol. NTSWA’s staff is constantly working to
public on the positive environmental stance we sustain a clean, presentable and successful
take at our facility. Numerous tours are given state of the art facility.
to showcase many aspects of our operation.
From schools to gardening clubs NTSWA welcomes all visitors to our facility. Tours are given of our landfill, recycling facility and our
most popular attraction being our state of the
art hydroponic greenhouse.
NTSWA’s Central Office, located in
Burlington, Pennsylvania
SWANA 2013 Landfill Gas Utilization Award Nomination
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NTSWA’s entire operation is unique in itself
beginning with the strong relationship held
between PPL Renewable Energy and Northern
Tier Solid Waste Authority. PPL and NTSWA
partnered in 2001 when NTSWA decided to
install the CAT 3516 engine to sell energy to
the grid. Relations expanded in 2008 when
PPL replaced NTSWA’s CAT 3516 with the
CAT 3520 engine we have today. This engine
is owned and operated by PPL. NTSWA sells
the landfill gas to PPL and in turn PPL grants
NTSWA with an additional 100 kilowatt hours
(kwh) of electricity. NTSWA makes every
attempt to utilize all waste energy from the
engine by harnessing the heat from the engine’s cooling water jacket. Between these two
energy sources NTSWA is able to heat and
operate our on-site facilities including the
truck garage, leachate treatment facility and
our state-of the art hydroponic greenhouse.
Finally, the heat loop project taps into the last
resource of energy from the engine by capturing the waste exhaust heat to provide a utility
to Bradford County.
waste disposal, waste collection, recycling collection and processing, septage treatment,
street sweeping, educational programs and
events, “controlled environmental agriculture”
(Greenhouse) and now supplying heat as a
utility to the facilities of Bradford County.
NTSWA recycled a broken down building (pictured
above) which was located on the property. This building is now the pump house (pictured below)
Aside from the gas utilization, NTSWA continues to distinguish itself with its unique integrative solid waste management system.
NTSWA provides various services to the
Northern Tier of Pennsylvania. NTSWA was
the first, and remains the only, regional three
county solid waste authority in Pennsylvania.
Many steps have been taken to ensure that
NTSWA can support our region for their
waste disposal needs. Through its innovative
services, NTSWA has proven that we are more
than a landfill. Some of these services include
SWANA 2013 Landfill Gas Utilization Award Nomination
14
DeCristoInc
9070Route414
CANTON,PA 17724
PHONE:570-364-5251
FAX: 570-361-5200
Dear SWANr\,
Hello my nameis DaviclDeCr:istofrom DeCristoIncorporatedarndl[ am writing to your association
I havebeenvery fbrlunate
to Nofthernl-ier Solid WasteAuthoritl"s "Heat Loop Pr,oject".
in reference
recoverysystem.In m1'2tl
generator/energy
this
of
to work for NTS\\i,z\over tkLeyearson variousstages
c,rntractingindustrl')iam yet to seean1'thingcl,oseto the completeuseof energ)
i1the ntechautical
1,ears
as this.The "Heat L,oc,pFro.jecl"which takesexhar:stgasenerg)'.1esexhaustga-cenerglrto a heat
and noise"int,t liee heatand lower decibelsof
exchangerto heatlr,atrlris brilliant! "Wastedenerg),'
noise.I havehad rnan),hoursof thoughtson how this countryneedsto recovermore energysincethis
and ttreBradlbrdCountl'
project.This "Heat Loop Project"which heatsthe BradfordCount;llu4anor
to the taKpayers.
CorrectionalFacility.alsoheatstheir domestichot waterat a sar,'ings
gasboiler on
The NTSWA hasalwayshad a vision fiom the first generatortl.reyinstalledto this cxhaust
'l-here
have
been
u,antingto useall tl"risener€iybecause"lt is the right thing to do" environmentall'y.
alongthe wav but NT SWA alwaysstuckto tl-reproject.I Iopefully this;proiectinspiresmore
challenges
landflllsto lollow suil..
Whel w.orkilg with Dayr:l'errill befbrehis passinghe stoppedb,vmy offrce (which he rarelyif ever
did) a1dhe closeiL1hedoor behindhim and Lrcmademe promisehim that I would seethe cornpletionof
..HcatLoop pntject" I did not knorvat the time why'"but we all fbundout soonenoughw'ithhis
this
this loop completed.During his
on his last daysor mc,nthsof life and he r.l'antecl
passipg.Hereis u nou,-,
with the NTSWA teamand they continuedwith the vision Dave
I r.r,orked
sicknessandaftertris deaLth
and the NTSWA lf]oardcliligently.
I hooevou will cgnsiflerthe N'ISWA "Heat Loop Project"fbr the GICLDExcelli:nceAn'ard.
Sincerely,
David DeCristo
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